V

ice President Jusuf Kalla has criticized an advertisement from Malaysian cleaning equipment firm RoboVac, saying that company must apologize for releasing the ad, which focuses on Indonesian maids.

The advertisement, which reads '€œFire Your Indonesian Maid Now,'€ has drawn wide protests from numerous quarters in Indonesia and has been deemed a form of harassment toward Indonesians, especially those employed as housemaids in the neighboring country.

Kalla viewed the ad as unethical, despite the company'€™s intention of attracting customers.

'€œ[The ad] must be retracted [and the company] must apologize. This is not under our control, but it is ethically wrong,'€ he said in his office on Wednesday.

The Vice President said that through the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the government has sought an explanation from the company.

Regarding the sending of unqualified workers abroad, Kalla said the government would certainly improve migrant workers'€™ skills and if necessary, would suspend sending workers to Malaysia.

'€œIndonesia once introduced a moratorium on labor supply to Malaysia, so if it is needed we will suspend sending workers there for three, four, or five years,'€ he said.

The Indonesian Embassy recently tasked a retainer lawyer with meeting the company'€™s management and providing a legal analysis before filing a complaint on the ad with the Malaysian police.

Separately, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that besides filing a diplomatic notice, the Indonesian government would lodge a complaint with the Malaysian police.

She said the ad on the billboard located on a road in Selangor had discredited Indonesia and had undermined its dignity. (JP/rms)